Anti-splash liquid pourout fitment and closure therefor



May W, 1967 l. H. MILLER ANTI-"SPLASH LIQUID POUROUT FITMENT AND CLOSURE THEREFOR Filed Oct. 23, 1965 INVENTOR. IRA HMILLER (1. ATTORNEV8 United States Patent 3,319,842 ANTI-SPLASH LIQUID PQUROUT FITMENT AND CLUSURE THEREFOR lira H. Miller, Lambertville, Mich, assignor to Owens- Illinois, Inc, a corporation of Ohio Filed Oct. 23, 1965, Ser. No. 503,718 3 Claims. (Cl. 222-479) This invention relates to a pourout fitment for the mouth of liquid containing bottles and is characterized by having improved anti-splash properties in relation to pourout fitments heretofore avail-able in the art. More particularly, the invention relates to a pourout fitment of the type insertable in, and lockingly engageable with, the neck of a narrow long-necked bottle for smooth pouring of the liquid in the bottle obtained by the simultaneous ingress of air into the bottle during the pouring of liquid therefrom. The pourout fitment of the present invention differs from previously known pourout fitments in its configuration which provides a tortuous path to the flow of liquid from the bottle thereby to absorb the momentum of the pouring liquid to retard it from splashing.

The invention also relates to a novel closure for use with a bottle provided with such a pourout fitment to obtain sealed closing of the bottle when the fitment and closure are in place by virtue of sealing engagement between the fitment and the closure.

For a further understanding of the present invention, attention is directed to the following portion of the specification, the drawing, and the appended claims:

In the drawing:

FIG. -1 is an elevational view, in section, of an embodiment of a fitment in accordance with the present invention in assembled relationship with a bottle, shown fragmentarily, and a closure;

FIG. 2 is a plan sectional view FIG. 1 taken on line 22 thereof;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary perspective view of a bottle equipped with the fitment of FIGS. 1 and 2 in partially inverted orientation for pouring of the contents therefrom, fragmentary portions of some of the elements of the fitment being broken away for the sake of clarity;

FIG. 4 is a view, similar to FIG. 1, of an alternative embodiment of a fitment in accordance with the present invention, in assembled relationship with a closure of alternative design; and

FIG. 5 is a plan sectional view FIG. 4 taken on line 5-5 thereof.

In accordance with the embodiment of the invention illustrated in FIGS. 1-3 of the drawing, there is provided a normally-upright bottle-like container, generally designated by numeral 10, which may be constructed of glass, having a neck portion 11, shown as being long and narrow, which terminates at its upper end in an open mouth of the fitment only of of the fitment only of An embodiment of a fitment in accordance with the present invention, generally designated by numeral 20, is located adjacent mouth 12 of bottle and comprises a hollow tube 21 disposed generally centrally of and coaxial with bottle neck 11 and having a first open end 21a located beyond mouth 12 and a second open end 21b located interiorly of bottle 10. Fitment 20 further comprises an annular flange 22 extending generally radially outwardly from a medial portion of tube 21, preferably from a portion closer to outward end 21a than to interior end 2112, across the opening 12 of the bottle neck in contact with the upwardly facing portion of neck 11. Annular flange is provided with -a generally circumferential series of openings 23 therein surrounding tube 21.

Fitment 20 is also provided with an annular baffle 24 which extends across the bottle opening from a location 3,319,842 Patented May 16, 1967 which is circumferentially sealed to flange 22, i.e. a location which is continuously sealed to flange 22 along a line radially externally of openings 23, to a location radially intermediate the series of openings 23 and the exterior of tube 21 and axially closer to the end 21a of tube 21 than flange 22. In the embodiment of FIGS. 1 and 3 the major portions of flange 22 and baffle 24 are parallel to, and spaced from, one another and the scaling function is accomplished by providing one or another of members 22 and 24, shown as member 22, with a perimetrical or circumferential rim 25 of uniform height extending trans versely from a radially outward location thereof to abut against the other of the members.

In a preferred construction of the above-described embodiment of the invention, members 21, 22 and 25 of fitment 20 are molded in a single integral piece of a resilient plastic material such as polyethylene or polypropylene. Annular baflie 24 is lockingly engaged to such an integral piece in perimetrioal sealing arrangement by molding it of a similar resilient plastic material with a skirt 26 molded integrally therewith, extending therefrom past flange 22 and rim 25 to frictionally engage an annular recess 13 of bottle 10 by means of an annular protuberance 27 at the base of skirt 26. The molded piece comprising baflfle 24 and the molded piece comprising flange 22 may also be frictionally lockingly engaged by providing baflie 24 and flange 26 with engaging rings or rings and recesses in customary fashion. It is also to be noted that annular baflie 24 may also be provided with an outwardly flared portion 28 molded integrally therewith and perimetrically extending from the interior of baflie 24 toward outward end 21a of tube 21, again in customary fashion.

A bottle 10 provided with a fitment 20 in accordance with FIGS. 1-3 may be closed in when not in use by means of a closure, generally designated by numeral 30, telescoped over the upper end of bottle neck 11. Closure 30 comprises a top panel 31 spanning the open mouth of bottle 10, at a location above fitment 20, and an annular skirt 32 attached to panel 31 and depending therefrom over a portion of bottle neck 11. Closure 30 may be securely engaged to bottle 10 by providing skirt 31 and neck 11 with engageable threaded fastening means 33 and 14, respectively. A sealed relationship between closure 30 and fitment 20 may be obtained when bottle 10 is closed by closure 30 by providing closure panel 31 with an integrally formed circumferential rim 34 extending downwardly from panel 31 to bottom or continuously abut against the upper surface of annular flange 24 when closure 30 is threaded tight on bottle 10.

An alternative or additional seal can be obtained by providing closure panel 31 with an integrally formed circumferential rim 35 which extends downwardly from panel 31 and has an exterior surface 36 which extends downwardly and inwardly and which engages the interior surface of outwardly-flared extension 28 of fitment 20 in surface-to-surface contact.

In operation, the liquid L contained in bottle 10 is dispensed therefrom by inverting the bottle so that at least a portion of opening 12 is lower in elevation than the level of liquid, as is shown in FIG. 3. Liquid will thereby pass from bottle 10 in a tortuous fluid flow path externally of tube 21, through openings 23 into the space between flange 22 and baflfle 24 and therefrom through the opening between flange 24 and tube 21 to the smooth pouring surface provided by flared portion 23. The tortuousness of such a flow path greatly curtails splashing of the poured liquid over that prevalent in prior art pourout fitments. Simultaneously with the pouring of liquid from bottle 10 there will be the fl-ow of air into bottle 10 through the flow path interiorly of tube 21 to maintain an even pressure in the bottle during pouring and thereby prevent gurgling. It is to be noted at this point that the opening in interior end 21b of tube 21 may, in accordance with known practice, be restricted to a value substantially less than the internal diameter of tube 21.

In FIGS. 4 and 5 of the drawing, bottle is provided with an alternative embodiment of a fitment in accordance with the present invention, generally designated by numeral 120, in a manner similar to the relationship between bottle 10 and fitment of FIGS. 1-3. Fitment 120 comprises a central tube 121 and an annular flange 122 extending radially outwardly from a medial portion thereof across the mouth 12 of bottle 10. Flange 122 is provided with a circumferential series of openings 123, which are shown to be circular. Fitment 120 also oomprises an annular baffle 124 which extends from a radial position externally of openings 123 in circumferentially sealed relationship to flange 122, at an acute angle to flange 122, to a position axially spaced from flange 122 and radially intermediate openings 123 and tube 121. The annular baffle 124 is a separate piece and is assembled onto the periphery of the disc of the element 122 by means of the bead and groove, as shown on FIG. 4. The axial spacing between flange 122 and battle 124 may be maintained by a circumferentially-spaced series of axiallyextending columns 125, shown as extending from flange 122, and preferably radially aligned with openings 123 as is shown in FIG. 5. Fitment 120 is lockingly engaged with bottle 10 by providing bafile with a skirt 126, as in the manner of fitment 20 and may be formed of a pair of interlocking molded resilient plastic members, again as in the manner of fitment 20.

A bottle 10 provided with a fitment 120 may be closed when not in use by means of a closure 130 which seals with fitment 120. It is also to be noted that closures of the design of closures and 130 may be used interchangeably with fitments of the design of fitments 20 and 120. When in place, closure 130 seals against fitment 120 by the bottoming of outwardly flared portion 128 of bafile 124 against the top panel 131 of closure 130, it being noted that a portion of panel 131 is recessed to prevent bottoming of the end of tube 121 thereagainst. An additional or alternative seal is obtained by providing panel 131 with an integrally-formed circumferential rim 134 which extends downwardly to bottom against a horizontally extending portion 124 of baffle 124.

It is believed that the best mode known to me to carry out this invention has been described above in terms sufficiently full, clear, concise and exact as to enable any person skilled in the art to make and use the same. It is to be understood, however, that it is within my contemplation that certain modifications of the above-described mode of practicing the invention can be made by a skilled artisan without departing from the scope of the invention and it is, therefore, desired to limit the invention only in accordance with the appended claims.

Iclaim:

1. A liquid pour-out fitment and removable screw closure in combination with a bottle, the latter having an exteriorly threaded neck portion for selectively applying the closure thereto, said neck having a rim defining an opening for the bottle and defining an annular snap-on flange intermediate the rim and its said threads, the pourout fitment comprising a disc element adapted to engage the rim surface of said neck, an integral axial hollow tube concentrically located on the disc, said tube having an open outer end and its opposite inner end defining a coaxially disposed air vent opening of lesser size than said open outer end, a plurality of slots located intermediate the tube and the neck rim in the disc, said slots being circumferentially distributed on said disc and providing access for pouring a liquid from the interior of the bottle through the neck opening, an elastomeric retaining baflie member having a peripheral skirt and a top panel spaced from the top surface of said disc and defining a central pour-out aperture concentrically located about the tube and larger than said tube, the top panel having an outwardly flared, upstanding portion, the slots of the disc and said pour-out aperture being connected into said space between the disc and the top panel, the skirt having an internal annular bead adapted to snap-on below the snap-on flange of the neck, thereby fastening the pour-out fitment in sealing engagement on the rim of the bottle.

2. The combination defined in claim 1, wherein the pour-out fitment is further characterized by the disc and the interior surface of the skirt portion of the retaining bafile member having cooperating annular groove and annular engaging bead, said bead and groove engaging to secure the disc to the retaining bafiie member as an integral pour-out assembly, said assembly being retained in sealing engagement on the rim of the bottle.

3. The combination defined in claim 1, wherein the closure comprises a skirt portion formed with thread means on its interior annular surface for securing the closure to the threads of said neck and an integral top panel, the underside of the top panel sealingly engaging the outwardly flared, upstanding portion of the pour-out baflle member when the closure is threaded securely onto the neck of the bottle, and an annular downwardly extending, axially disposed rib on the under side of said closure engaging the outer surface of the bafile member when the closure is securely threaded into sealing engagement with the flared portion of the baffle member, thereby sealing the bottle contents.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 205,576 7/ 1878 Robbins 222564 X 2,411,435 11/ 1946 Kirschenbaum 222--421 2,785,841 3/1957 Westgate 222545 2,823,837 2/1958 Heinle 222546 2,829,807 4/ 1958 Kirschenbaum 222421 3,091,373 5/1963 Kirschenbaum 222420 3,136,458 6/1964 Ruetz 222546 X 3,149,763 9/1964 Exton 222545 X WALTER SOBIN, Primary Examiner. 

1. A LIQUID POUR-OUT FITMENT AND REMOVABLE SCREW CLOSURE IN COMBINATION WITH A BOTTLE, THE LATTER HAVING AN EXTERIORLY THREADED NECK PORTION FOR SELECTIVELY APPLYING THE CLOSURE THERETO, SAID NECK HAVING A RIM DEFINING AN OPENING FOR THE BOTTLE AND DEFINING AN ANNULAR SNAP-ON FLANGE INTERMEDIATE THE RIM AND ITS SAID THREADS, THE POUROUT FITMENT COMPRISING A DISC ELEMENT ADAPTED TO ENGAGE THE RIM SURFACE OF SAID NECK, AN INTEGRAL AXIAL HOLLOW TUBE CONCENTRICALLY LOCATED ON THE DISC, SAID TUBE HAVING AN OPEN OUTER END AND ITS OPPOSITE INNER END DEFINING A COAXIALLY DISPOSED AIR VENT OPENING OF LESSER SIZE THAN SAID OPEN OUTER END, A PLURALITY OF SLOTS LOCATED INTERMEDIATE THE TUBE AND THE NECK RIM IN THE DISC, SAID SLOTS BEING CIRCUMFERENTIALLY DISTRIBUTED ON SAID DISC AND PROVIDING ACCESS FOR POURING A LIQUID FROM THE INTERIOR OF THE BOTTLE THROUGH THE NECK OPENING, AN ELASTOMERIC RETAINING BAFFLE 